A Skirmish with the Boers near Kimberley by a Troop of Cavalry Scouts Attached to General French's Column
A Boer War re-enactment with a ring of authenticity
This very dramatic scene appears to come from the heart of the Boer War action, but on closer inspection it is clear that Joe Rosenthal staged this scene in South Africa with the help of a co-operative group of cavalry. Staged skirmishes like this were common at the time, with the bulky camera preventing more intimate acquaintance with the fighting.
British audiences saw a range of fakes - from fights staged on home soil, to more complex fabrications such as this - however, what is clear is that in the moment of exhibition itself what aroused the excitement of the audience was not the veracity of the film, but plain patriotic fervour. The Poly Concerts are an interesting test case in this regard, as audiences saw a wide range of Boer war films, and booed, sneered and cheered according to what was on screen, and not according to the manner in which the image was created.
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England Expects
The military loomed large in Victorian society - and filmmakers were naturally eager to satisfy public interest in military subjects.
In the hierarchy of Victorian celebrity culture, military heroes came second only to the Queen herself. With the British Empire at its peak, filmmakers jostled for glimpses of conquering heroes like Lord Kitchener and Field-Marshal Roberts.
The second Boer War was the first major conflict of the film era, and a few intrepid pioneers travelled with their cameras to South Africa. Military commanders kept them away from the front lines, meaning they rarely captured anything of the fighting, the footage they sent home gave filmgoers an unprecedented window on the war. Other filmmakers, meanwhile, were content to re-enact skirmishes at home, or to film processions of departing or returning troops to excite patriotic audiences.
56 videos in this collection
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Coldstream Guards Embarking on Troopship Gascon
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H.M.S. "Powerful" Arriving in Portsmouth Harbour
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Lord Roberts Presenting Medals to Boer War Volunteers in Liverpool (1901)
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Wooden Walls of Old England
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Royal Scots Regiment at Edinburgh Castle (1901)
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Battle of Spion Kop: Ambulance Corps Crossing the Tugela River (1) (1900)
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A Skirmish with the Boers near Kimberley by a Troop of Cavalry Scouts Attached to General French's Column
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Tommies on the March
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Warships at Sunset
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Dispersing the Troops at Windsor after Parade
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Norton No. 57
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Trafalgar Day London 1900
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Lancers Crossing the Modder River
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Sailors on H.M.S. Black Prince Firing Cannon and Rifles
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Train Load of C.I.V.s Leaving Southampton
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War Balloon and Transport Crossing the Vaal River
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Colonial Troops and Cavalry on the March
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French Military Procession
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Gymnasts on Parallel Bars
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Lord Roberts Hoisting the Union Jack at Pretoria
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Military Parade
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Bluejackets' Field Gun Drill at Durban
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Soldiers March along a Road
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The Arrival and Reception of Lord Roberts at Capetown
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The Gordon Highlanders
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Parade of Troops with Band and Crowds Following
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1st Volunteer Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment - Blackburn Rifle Volunteers (1900)
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The 5-inch Siege Guns Crossing Vaal River
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Artillery Crossing a River
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The Australian Mounted Rifles Marching through Cape Town
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Bayonet Drill
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Duke and Duchess of York at Conway
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Entry of the Scots' Guards into Bloemfontein
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Field Ambulances Crossing the Vaal River
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The Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers Digging Entrenchments at Orange River, South Africa - The passing of the armoured train
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Gordon Highlanders Leaving for the Boer War
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Indian Army Parade
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Infantry at Pretoria (c.1900)
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Mounting and Dismounting a 3-ton Gun
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Troopship Nubia Leaving Harbour
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King's Liverpool Regiment
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Lord Roberts' Arrival in London
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Lord Roberts Leaving for South Africa
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C.I.V. Procession. Cyclists and Infantry
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Lord Roberts' Visit to Manchester (1901)
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Manchester's Welcome to the Imperial Yeomanry (1901)
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Military Sunday in Newcastle
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President Kruger
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Ralph Pringle Interviewing Private Ward V.C. Hero in Leeds (1901)
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Sir George White Leaving the London Hippodrome
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The Return of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (1901)
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Return of the Brave Manchester Volunteers (1901)
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The Seaforth Highlanders' Return to Cairo after the Fall of Omdurman and Khartoum
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The Surrender of Kroonstad to Lord Roberts
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